The invention comprises a flexible membrane diaphragm that can be used to free obstructions from plumbing fixtures, especially toilet fixtures, and a method of using such a diaphragm for freeing obstructions from plumbing fixtures.
The present invention is concerned with a tool for quickly and neatly removing blockages in waste line drains in the areas of S-traps and, in particular, for clearing blockages in toilet fixtures.
The clearance of obstructions in drain lines of various fixtures, in particular household toilets, is a common need in most households and often a very distasteful chore accomplished by use of plumber snakes, makeshift snakes, plungers, or repeated flushing with lots of hope that the blockage is cleared without an overflow of the appliance.
Conventional tools that are available to clean clogged drains are difficult to use, especially by the average homeowner. These conventional devices are messy to use, and, in most cases, require excessive physical efforts. Long spirally wound wire, commonly known as a snake, that is forced through the drain to the restricting material has been used in the past to dislodge obstructions in a drain. The spirally wound wire sometimes damages fixtures, becomes caught, becomes difficult to retrieve, goes into the wrong section of the pipe, is sometimes too short to reach the clogged area, requires considerable physical force to use, and creates a mess.
One of the oldest methods of clearing clogged drains utilizes a rubber plunger on a wooden handle. Repeated pumping of the plunger causes water to surge in the drain, which helps push the material through the clogged drain. The main problem with this method and apparatus of unclogging drains is the physical fatigue factor. Elderly people, handicapped, in fact, most people have trouble maintaining the constant plunging action required for dislodging difficult clogs. In addition, while the plunger is easier to use than a lumber snake, it is often not very effective in clearing certain blockages and can cause waste water to splash, necessitating the clean up of the toilet and its surrounding areas.
Various improvements on the plumber snake and plunger have been suggested to address these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,534 to Clay, the subject matter of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a toilet drain cleaning tool that comprises an exterior cylinder having a plunger-like head, wherein the plunger face has a central aperture therein. Slidable through the central aperture is a flexible hose-like piece that is retained within the outer cylinder in the stored condition and that in the operative condition, extends its full length outward through the aperture in the plunger to snake through the drain passage to the stoppage.
Fluid pressure devices for opening clogged pipes are also disclosed in the prior art. For example, one known device used to unclog drains is a water inflatable tube that is fed into the drain line through the fixture. A flexible garden type hose is used to expand the inflatable tube, thereby exerting a pressure, which forces water through the drain. The water inflatable tube is difficult to insert into the drain line, requires the attached garden type hose to trail through the living areas in the house, and, if a rupture in the water hose occurred, would result in considerable water damage.
Another fluid pressure device disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,311 to Rau, the subject matter of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a hand-held fluid pressure device for opening clogged pipes. A pressurized gas is discharged from a slidable fluid conduit, supplied by a standard gas cartridge. U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,237 to Torti, the subject matter of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, describes a toilet plunger comprising a resiliently deformable plunger element and a tubular handle element connected to a supply of pressured water. The plunger is operable for applying increased pressure to an obstruction in the outlet portion of a toilet or in a drain line by supplying pressurized water to the plunger element through the tubular handle element, and it is alternatively operable as a conventional toilet plunger.
However, all of the inventions of the prior art for releasing clogged drains are usable only by submerging the device into the wastewater contained in the plumbing fixture, thus increasing the likelihood of overflowing wastewater. The inventor is unaware of any devices that can be used to remove an obstruction that do not need to be placed into the plumbing fixture.
Thus, there is a need for a household tool that is easy to use, inexpensive, simple in construction, and provides an easy way to clear a blockage with minimum effort and mess and that operates external to the plumbing fixture.
The present invention comprises a flexible diaphragm for freeing an obstruction from a plumbing fixture.
The present invention further comprises a method of freeing an obstruction from a plumbing fixture comprising the steps of:
a) cleaning and drying a top ring of the fixture;
b) positioning a diaphragm on said top ring of the fixture;
c) exposing adhesive situated on a periphery of the diaphragm and adhering the adhesive to the cleaned and dried fixture;
d) optionally, temporarily plugging an overflow pipe of the fixture;
e) lifting the diaphragm to allow air through an air valve located in the diaphragm;
f) closing the air valve; and
operating the diaphragm by pushing and pulling the diaphragm until the obstruction is dislodged.